Second Chances: Here Comes The Groom!
by jtbwriter
Summary: 24 Hours from getting married, A.J. is missing, can Rick and his new partner save the wedding?
1. Default Chapter

SECOND CHANCES: HERE COMES THE GROOM.  
  
24 Hours from getting married, A.J. is missing, can Rick and  
his new partner save the wedding? This is a work of fiction. No money is being made on it, and the characters are owned by Universal  
and are only being borrowed for a little while.  
  
Prologue  
  
"A.J.?"  
  
"Yes, Rick?"  
  
"Are you sure you want to get married?''  
  
The younger Simon sat up in bed, staring at his brother. "What! Are you kidding? Sure I want to get married! I love Linda!"  
  
Rick looked over at him, a sly grin on his face. "That's all I want to know! Come in, guys!"  
  
Suddenly, A.J.'s bedroom was invaded by a group of their friends, led by "Downtown" Brown. A.J. shocked, looked at his brother, then started laughing. "I don't believe I fell for that old "everybody's got the flu" routine! I should have wondered why you didn't want to drive home. Guys, this is great!"  
  
Rick got up and pulled his brother out of bed, "Come on, little brother, we've got a bachelor party to go to! Be right out!" "Aw, Rick, let us help dress the groom!" Towne called out, pulling open A.J.'s closet. "Nope, that's my job, you guys wait outside, and we'll be ready in a minute!"  
  
Good-naturedly grumbling, the group exited the room, Rick closing the door behind them. turning around, he saw his brother gazing at him, a sad look on his face. "What's wrong, A.J.? Missing your dating days already?"  
  
He shook his head, "No, Rick, but I am going to miss your crazy antics. Sometimes I think you've gone legit, then you pull something like this that makes me glad you haven't grown up all together!"  
  
The older brother plopped down next to him, suddenly serious, "I'm going to miss you too, A.J., I know we'll still be working together and all, but it won't be the same after this. But until you tie the knot, we got some partying to do!" 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
"A.J., I swear, I didn't know Linda was going to be there, how was I to know she put Rudy up to putting her in the cake!" Rick pleaded with his brother through the bathroom door.  
  
"How did she know about your top secret party then, huh?" A.J.'s upset voice came through loud and clear. Rick winced. "I don't know, she was pretty funny tho', don't you think?  
  
Suddenly laughter came from behind the older Simon, and Laurie popped her head around the door. "A.J., why don't you ask me?" she teased, as Rick's jaw dropped.  
  
"Uh, honey, you knew about the party?", he stammered. "Sure, I only had to put two brothers and one bunch of San Diego goofballs together to know something was up. A.J., don't you think Linda deserved a little fun too, huh?" she asked, coyly.  
  
The bathroom door opened on one sheepish brother, who saw his sister-in- law's smiling face, then reluctantly grinned. "Yeah, she did, but "Helga", sheesh, it was almost as bad as your "Margaret"!  
  
Rick broke down laughing, and after a moment, A.J. and Laurie joined in. When they finally simmered down, A.J. took Laurie by the arm. "Come on, Laurie, I'll buy my favorite blonde some breakfast, since "Helga" took the car, your husband can drive!"  
  
After breakfast, Rick and A.J. stopped by the tux shop so he could pick up his suit, then drove over to the hotel Linda was staying at to pick up A.J.'s car and drop off Laurie for a last minute fitting and lunch with the bride-to-be and Cecilia.  
  
"I should be done at the travel agent's in about half an hour, want to meet me back at the house?" A.J. leaned out of his sports car.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just going to run by the office to check our messages and pick up the mail, see you back there for lunch", Rick replied, mussing his brother's hair. "There, now you look like a nervous groom," he teased, ducking A.J.'s attempt at knocking off his hat. "Just for that, you make lunch!" A.J. laughed, driving away.  
  
Rick watched him go, then sighed, times were changing, tomorrow afternoon his brother would be a married man. Climbing into Laurie's jeep, he pulled out of the hotel parking lot and was almost clipped by a late model mini-van. "Watch where you're going, lady!", he yelled at the driver, a dark haired woman with cat glasses. She gave him the universal up-yours and screeched off, leaving a fuming Simon in her wake. Heading to the office, Rick was still steaming when he unlocked the door and turned on the lights. Seeing the answering machine blinking, he heaved a sigh and hit "Play".  
  
30 minutes later, he tossed the last of the junk mail into the trash and picked up the message pad to take to A.J., 2 canceled appointments and a confirmation for surveillance. He was almost out the door when the phone rang. Debating whether or not to pick it up, he caught it on the third ring. "Simon and Simon Investigations".  
  
"Rick, this is Captain Ron, is your brother there?" "Hi, Captain, no, A.J.'s not here today. Can I help you with something?" Rick tried to remember if the policeman had said he was coming to the wedding or not.  
  
There was a pause, then the Captain said, "I was afraid of that, was A.J. driving his sports car today?" "Yeah, I drove him home last night as he, well, his bachelor party was last night and his fiancée took the car to her hotel. He picked it up this morning, why? Has something happened to his car?" Rick felt something cold inside.  
  
"No, something may have happened to your brother, can you meet me at the travel agency on 3rd and Tucson?" the policeman replied.  
  
"I'll be there in three minutes," he answered, hanging up the phone. He ran out of the office, stopping only to lock the door.  
  
Running only 3 red lights, Rick braked to a halt in the parking lot behind the mini-mall where he and his brother bought all their plane tickets. He saw a small crowd gathered around A.J.'s sports car, and dashed over to where Captain Ron and another policeman were interviewing witnesses.  
  
"Captain, what's going on, where's A.J.?" he demanded, peering past the police and seeing the open door of his brother's car, lights still on.  
  
The officer grabbed his arm and propelled him over to the car. "Take it easy, Rick, it looks like somebody, a woman, pulled a gun on your brother and forced him into a van. A couple of people, one of them your travel agent, got a partial on the license plate, but by the time anyone had time to react, the vehicle was gone. " Rick slumped into the driver's seat, dazed. "I know this is hard, but is there anyone who might have a grudge or made a threat against A.J. recently?" The older Simon shook his head. "No, Captain, we had that incident with Caparelli a couple of months ago, but nothing. He's supposed to be married tomorrow, this can't be happening." Rick felt the policeman's hand on his shoulder. "I know, I know, at least we have a partial on the mini-van's license plate. and"  
  
Something clicked in Rick's mind. "Wait a minute, you said mini-van? I nearly got sideswiped by a mini-van this morning, just after I dropped A.J. off to get his car!" "Rick, are you sure? Did you get a look at the driver, what color was it?" Captain Ron pulled out his notepad.  
  
"She had dark hair, those funny cat glasses, not much else to notice other than she gave me the finger. It was a silver mini-van. I don't remember much else, I was too steamed.", Rick got up as the officer ran to his squad car and radioed in the descriptions and the information just provided.  
  
When he was done, Captain Ron turned to Rick, saying, "I need you to call A.J.'s fiancée, see if by some chance she's heard something, anything. Also, can you double check your files, phone calls, anything weird or offbeat. I'll follow up on your information and call you with whatever I find, ok? We'll find him, Rick," The older Simon nodded, "Thanks, Captain, I appreciate your help. I'll call you after I talk to Linda." He turned to Mike, the travel agent who had provided the partial plate and after thanking him for his help, asked to use his phone. "Sure, Rick, I feel horrible. A.J. was so happy, I walked him out and I had just turned around when I heard him yell, then saw the woman with the gun push him into the van. By the time I ran to call the police and report the license plate, she was gone."  
  
Rick thanked him again then went to call Linda. Relieved when Laurie answered the phone, he said, "Honey, something bad has happened. I need you to get Linda." "Rick, what's going on? Is it A.J.?" she asked. "Yeah, somebody grabbed him at gunpoint and forced him into a van about 20 or 30 minutes ago. The police got a partial license plate from Mike and some witnesses, they're starting to track it now." "Oh, no, I don't believe it, Rick, this is crazy! Why would anyone want to kidnap A.J.?" "I don't know, darlin', but I want you and Linda to meet me at the office, I'm going to go through our most recent files and see if I can find any leads, can you do that?" "Sure, now here's Linda, I'll get our things together while you tell her.", Laurie replied, handing the phone to her friend.  
  
The older Simon broke the news to Linda, and after the initial shock she agreed to go with Laurie to the Simon brothers office. Cecelia was in the background, and upon hearing one half of the conversation, asked to speak to Rick. "Honey, what's happened, did Laurie say A.J. has been kidnapped?" Her son had a lump in his throat as he answered, "Yes, Mom, we don't know who or why, but I'll find him, I promise. Laurie can drive you and Linda to the office; I'll fill you in on as much as I know when I get there." "Of course you'll find him, Rick, I'll see you at the office in a few minutes. Be careful, son." She added, "I love you." Eyes smarting, Rick mumbled, "I love you, too, Mom." Hanging up the phone, he wiped his eyes, then looked up to see Captain Ron in the doorway of the office.  
  
"What is it, did you find anything?" Rick frantically asked. The captain shook his head, "I'm afraid we found the mini-van a few blocks away, it was empty, no fingerprints, a few blond hairs, nothing, except,.." He held up the plane tickets A.J. had just picked up, and a red carnation. Rick stared at the flower, then seeing the expression on Captain Ron's face, said, "This means something, doesn't it?" He nodded, "I made a few calls, three men in Northern California were recently found dead. Each of them was to be married when they disappeared, only to be found shot, with a red carnation next to their bodies. All three cases were linked to a mentally ill woman, Catherine Palmer, who was in a lockdown facility until last week, when she apparently escaped. I have a picture of her and a name, but unfortunately she has a history as a disguise artist, she could look like or be anyone right now." Rick gripped the policeman's arm. "That's a start, maybe this time we'll beat her to her usual methods. Can you bring whatever you get to our office; I've got Laurie bringing Linda and our mom there in a few minutes." "Sure, Rick, I'll be there as soon as I can."  
  
Within minutes, the older Simon was comforting both Linda and his Mom, as Laurie quietly made some coffee then started pulling files. After a few initial tears, Linda calmed down and started going through phone records with Cecilia. After gathering their most recent cases, Laurie turned and told Rick, "Steve is flying in this afternoon, darling, he said Oscar can't be here until the morning, but Jaime is coming with him. The chief will drive Rob and Robin straight to the hotel, then meet us here." Looking on the reception desk, she pointed to the message pad and asked, "Rick, did you or A.J. take any messages this morning?" "Yeah, we had a couple of cancellations and one confirmation of appointments, I've got them in my pocket as I was going to show them to A.J., why?"  
  
"Just in case, if someone wanted to disguise their intentions, they wouldn't want to meet with their victim's brother just when they've committed the crime. Plus maybe, if Captain Ron is right, this woman had to have found out about A.J.'s upcoming wedding from somewhere, and we sure didn't send an announcement to the newspapers! Rick, I'm afraid the TV stations have already had a story about A.J.'s', kidnapping. I hope it doesn't bring any other creeps out of the woodwork, " she added. Looking at the messages Rick handed over, she matched the names, two woman and one man, to the appointment book.  
  
After an hour of searching, Rick was forced to admit they were at a dead- end, as they had no outstanding cases involving women. Suddenly Laurie said, "What did that woman who almost hit you look like?" "Dark hair, cat glasses, didn't notice anything else except she flipped me off", he replied. "What if she was wearing a wig, you had a client with blond hair in here last week, didn't you?" Laurie asked. "That's right, on Friday last, we did have a blond lady in here last week. She didn't have much of a case against her Grandfather and Mother for stealing her trust fund." Curious, his wife looked at the notes Rick pulled for a Catherine Yates. Rick studied her file, remembering her as a mousy sort. Just then Captain Ron knocked on the door, and upon coming in, greeted Linda and Cecilia.  
  
Turning to Rick and Laurie, he said," I have a picture of the suspect here, does her face ring a bell?"  
  
Rick stared at the face of the woman who had almost hit his car.  
  
"That's her, that's the woman who almost hit me. Damn, she must have been following us." he swore, turning away. The captain dropped the photo on the desk, then looked at Laurie as she tapped the Yates file. "Rick, this Catherine Yates, could she be the same woman you saw?" He shook his head, "No, I don't think so, except," he stared, "the cat glasses, she had them in her hand when I saw her, she must have been wearing a wig." She pulled out the information slip in the file and said, "Well, here's an address, this gives us a start."  
  
Rick took it, seeing it was in a residential area of Phoenix, then kissed his wife. "Good work, hon, you stay here with Mom and Linda, we'll check this out." Grabbing his jacket, he went out the door, leaving Captain Ron surprised for a moment, then yelling, "Rick, wait a minute!", followed him out. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Laurie stared after them, flabbergasted. "I don't believe that, Mom, did you hear that? Maybe I wanted to go with them, I'm not exactly an amateur!" Linda put a hand on her, "I think he just forgot, sis, I know you could have helped, but, he's scared." Laurie smiled at her, then gave her a hug, as Cecilia added, "That's what I think, although I want to know where that "little woman" attitude came from."  
  
"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I love him so much, and he spoils me rotten, so he's not used to my working as his partner on anything but chores," she sighed. Just then the phone rang, and Laurie automatically picked it up, "Simon and Simon Investigations."  
  
"Mrs. Simon?" A timid voice triggering a warning in her head. "This is Laurie Simon, who is this?" "I, I just saw a report about your brother-in-law on TV, I love your books, I'm really sorry, I didn't know he was related to you."  
  
"Thank you." she answered carefully, signaling Linda to silently hit the record button on the machine. "Do you know something about A.J., anything that might help?"  
  
There was silence, then, "Yes, I know where he is, but I want to meet you, I want you to tell me why he's not like the others." The voice paused, and Laurie, fighting the urge to start screaming questions, asked calmly, "I can meet with you, wherever you want. Is A.J. alright?" She heard Cecilia inhale sharply, then Linda buried her head in her hands as the woman answered "Yes, he gave me quite a time, but he's ok. You've got 15 minutes to get here though, no cops, nobody following you."  
  
"All right, anything you say, where do you want me to come?" she grabbed a pen and pad of paper motioning her mom to quietly pick up the extension. "There's a gas station on Tree Lane and 4th, you can park your car there, then start walking on the 3100 block of Tree Lane, I'll come meet you."  
  
Click.  
  
Laurie stared at the receiver, then hanging up the phone, walked around the desk and pulled open a drawer to retrieve a small transmitter and receptor. "Linda, call Phoenix PD and have them get a hold of Captain Ron and Rick, give them that address and tell I'll meet them in back of the gas station. I'll just have enough time to do that if I leave right now. Also, Mom, can you call Towne and the Chief and see if they'll come too, I don't know if Rick had a chance to reach either of them, but they should be there. Tell them I'll wait five minutes there, then I'll have to start walking, I'll keep the transmitter tuned to frequency 10.15."  
  
She reached up to grab a hat as Linda picked up the extension and started punching in numbers. Cecilia helped her hook herself up, then embraced her, saying, "You be careful, honey, wait for Rick and the Captain, I don't want anything to happen to you either." "I will, Mom, don't worry, I guess this is one of those times my writing might actually help us with a case!", she added, smiling at the two women. She went to the door, then looked back at Linda and said, "A.J.'ll be ok, Linda, I won't come back without him."  
  
Plotting a route that would allow her to go through the back of the gas station, Laurie came down 4th street and pulled behind the station. Less then a minute later, Rick's car pulled up next to hers, and as she got out, she found a scowling husband and stone-faced police captain waiting for her. "Rick, did you find anything at that address?", she asked him, fighting the temptation to give him a hug. "Nope," he growled, "it was a vacant lot. Laurie, this might be a trap. Mom played the tape and this woman is a psycho, I don't want you to go." She reached up and kissed him, then held up her transmitter. "Rick, I'll be alright, I gave Mom the frequency to pass on. Wait a moment, then as soon as you see which home I go in, you can come in the back and get A.J. to safety. I think this will work, Captain," she turned to him, "and if anything looks funny, I promise I get out of there." Looking at her face, he reluctantly agreed, telling Rick, "It's the best plan we got, go ahead, Laurie. We'll wait a minute until contact, then we'll follow." "Thanks, Captain," she replied, then seeing her husband still wanting to argue, she hugged him, whispering, "Please let me do this."  
  
Laurie pulled away, only to have him stroke her cheek, saying, "Ok, sweetheart, be careful." "I will,", She squeezed his hand, then climbed back into her car. Backing up, she drove around the front of the station and parked next to the phone booth. Getting out, she then turned on her transmitter, saying "testing, can you hear me, Rick?" "Loud and clear, darlin'," came his answer. Laurie started walking up the block and passed several residences, all with neat lawns, little gardens. She was a few doors from the end of the lane when she heard "Mrs. Simon?"  
  
Looking up at the home she was in front of, she caught sight of a blond haired woman, standing on a porch. "Yes?", she replied, walking up the path toward her. "Thank you for following my directions," the woman said, producing a gun from her pocket.  
  
Laurie shook her head, "You don't need that, I came here to talk to you. Can we sit down?" The woman hesitated, then pocketed the gun, indicating a chair for her to use. As she sat down, Laurie heard Rick say, "we're in back, keep her occupied." "You know who I am," she said to the faded looking blonde, nervously playing with her hair, "what's your name?"  
  
"Catherine, but you can call me Cathy. I really love your books; you had a hard time of it like me, didn't you?' Laurie quelled the impulse to smack her, instead nodding and saying "It can be hard not having someone close growing up, but I was lucky and I have my husband and my brother-in-law. Did someone leave you behind, abandon you?"  
  
"Yes, I was left behind, standing at the altar while the guy I should have married went off with my sister. I swore no one would ever do that to anyone again. I wouldn't have taken your brother-in-law if I knew he was close to you." Suddenly the woman's expression changed, "But you haven't told me why I should let him go, if I let you both leave, they'll come after me again, no, I won't let them stop me." She pulled out the gun and pointing it at Laurie, said, "Come inside, I want to hear why I shouldn't take care of him."  
  
Laurie stood up, saying, "I'll tell you why, only put the gun down, please." Suddenly she heard Rick say, "We found A.J., he's all right, honey, make an excuse and leave, hurry." She turned at the doorway, only to find Catherine with the gun in her face. "Go on, inside!" Trying to gage how fast the Palmer woman was with the weapon, Laurie entered the house only to hear a noise behind her and half turned to see the gun swinging down on her, striking her a glancing blow. She fell to her knees, then put her arm up and knocked the weapon away. Rolling on the floor then popping up, Laurie caught the woman diving at her flush with a punch to the chin. Falling backward, Catherine Palmer fell against a sofa, then getting to her feet, grabbed the rug Laurie was standing on and pulled it, sending her crashing to the floor. As Laurie tried to get up, she saw the crazed woman seize a poker, then come at her. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Rick crept down the hallway, one arm around his brother, toward the voices in the room ahead, as Captain Ron brought up the rear. Coming to the door to the living room, he saw Palmer pull the rug out from under his wife's feet, then raise a poker and start toward her. Instantly he pulled out his gun, yelling, "Down, Laurie!" then fired at the woman, striking her in the shoulder. As she went down, the three men rushed in, with the policeman recovering Palmer's weapon and cuffing her. Rick and A.J. went to Laurie, dazed, who was trying to stand up. They each took an arm and raised her up, then she saw A.J., with a black eye and torn shirt. "Oh, A.J!", she cried, as he hugged her. "Are you all right, oh look at your eye!" Grinning at his sister-in-law, he told her,  
  
"I'm fine, just a little bruised, thanks to you and the guys here." Rick put an arm around her and held her, saying, "Thank God you're safe, I heard her force you inside."  
  
Laurie sniffed, saying "If you hadn't come down the hall, you were right, she is crazy." He stroked her hair, only to feel a lump on her head. "Sweetheart, did she hit you?" She nodded, hastening to add, "She tried to  
  
knock me out once she got me inside." Both Simon brothers held onto her as  
  
Captain Ron handed Catherine Palmer off to a couple of backup officers, kicking and screaming obscenities at Laurie the whole time. He came over to Laurie and asked, "Are you all right, you gave Rick quite a scare there." "I'm all right, thanks to you guys. Did you have a hard time getting in.?", she added, as they started out the door.  
  
The captain chuckled, "No, except for the two guard dogs next door. Rick is very resourceful, fortunately he was able to give us the time to jump over the fence." The older Simon grinned, "Well, thank you,  
  
Captain Ron, that's one of the nicest things you've ever said!"  
  
A.J asked, "What did you do, Rick?" "I threw a stick and yelled, "Fetch!", he laughed. As they came down the path toward the street, a sports car drove up, and Linda jumped out, calling, "A.J.!" In a flash he ran to her, then embraced her, as she burst into tears and kissed him. Cecilia and Towne got out of the car, as Rick heard Laurie start to sniff again. Raising her face to his, Rick kissed her, saying "Laurie, darling, I'm proud of you. You helped save A.J. in spite of my being so stubborn."  
  
Her eyes lit up, and returning his kisses, she said, "Rick, the only time you're stubborn is when you don't want to see someone you love hurt. And I," she sighed, holding him tightly, "don't ever want you to ever change, except," she looked at him shyly", let me help once in a while?"  
  
He laughed and kissed her, only to hear the clearing of throats, as he saw Captain Ron pointing at his watch, and realized it was getting late. "Good grief,", Cecilia said, "The rehearsal and dinner, it's only in a couple of hours. A.J., do you feel up to it?"  
  
Her younger son nodded, as Linda put her head against his shoulder. "We've got plenty of time, let's do it! Linda and I can do our part right now, " he teased, turning to face his fiancée. Laughing and blushing, she kissed him, then let him lead her to Towne's car. Rick and Laurie went to pick up her car, as the Captain volunteered to take care of the police report.  
  
Once they got back to A.J.'s condo, he held an ice pack to his eye as he told them how Catherine Palmer had pulled up alongside him, pulling a gun then slugging him when he wouldn't let her handcuff him. She had forced him into another car a couple of blocks away, then threatened to take Linda hostage if he didn't cooperate.  
  
"All I could think of was how dangerous she was, she kept telling me I was  
  
dead, but did I want my bride to suffer, too." She had left him handcuffed in a bedroom, only coming in to tell him his sister-in-law was coming. Linda put her arm around him as he said, "She said that if I made one sound, she would kill Laurie. She stuck tape on my mouth, then locked me in. Thank God she didn't lock the windows, I thought I was hearing things when Rick opened the one in back of me." Rick shook his head, "I thought we were  
  
lucking out when the first window opened, then when I saw A.J., I knew it was going to be all right."  
  
His younger brother grinned at him, "Yeah, even though he was cussing at how heavy I was the whole way down the hall." Cecilia hugged both of her sons, then said, "I think we're ready for a wedding, don't you?"  
  
At the rehearsal, Father Nick, who had married Rick and Laurie, looked at A.J. and Linda, then turning to Cecilia, smiled and said "I always thought someone special would come along for your boys, I just never thought I would be around to see it!" Asking A.J. if he was ready to rehearse his vows, the younger Simon looked at Linda and told her, "I'm ready for the real thing now." Taking her hand, he faced her, saying.  
  
"I, Andrew Jackson, take you Linda, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, til' death do us part."  
  
A radiant Linda repeated her vows, then as his brother before him, A.J. waited only until Father Nick said, "I now pronounce you man and wife", then he kissed her. The priest threw up his hands, laughing, and said "Ok, A.J. and Linda are married!"  
  
As the new Mr. And Mrs. Simon held hands to go down the aisle, they both went to over to Rudy, who had given her away, then to Cecilia, embracing them. Stopping in front of Rick, A.J. threw his arms around him, saying, "Thank you for being my big brother." Choking up, Rick embraced him, "I'm so proud of you, A.J., be happy." He hugged Linda, and she whispered to him, "Thank you for being such a great brother, I'll take care of him for you."  
  
Laurie was teary when she embraced the two newlyweds, and watching them go down the aisle ahead of them, Rick took her hand and squeezed it, bringing a smile to her face. As they followed behind, Laurie softly said, "I do." Bringing her hand to his lips, he repeated, "I do, too." 


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Rick sat staring at the TV, waiting for Laurie to come back from the barn. Oh, the wedding reception had been great, he was happy for A.J., but suddenly it was sinking in; his little brother was a married man, he definitely didn't need him so much anymore.  
  
Suddenly he heard his wife call his name. Not seeing her in the kitchen, he headed toward the barn, only to hear the fire alarm go off. Rushing to the stable door, he felt it for heat, then finding none he entered the barn, only to start choking on smoke.  
  
He looked up and saw Laurie, clinging onto a ladder high above a small fire burning in the feed bin.  
  
"Honey, hang on, I'm going to put out the fire!" he yelled, then pulled out the fire extinguisher and put out the small blaze, near a broken heat bulb. Once it was out, he called to her "It's safe now, Laurie, come on down."  
  
She shook her head, coughing, then croaked "Snake, there's a snake down there." Rick looked over the bales to see a huge rattler, trying to slither up the ladder. He saw she had no alternative but to jump, so he made eye contact with her, saying, "Sweetheart, I need you to jump to me, I'll catch you."  
  
Laurie stared into his eyes, "I can't move." He tried again, "Laurie, please, come to me." He opened his arms, gazing up at her.  
  
She nodded, then jumped into Rick's arms. He caught her and dropped onto a pile of hay. Laurie was shaking in his arms as she said, "Rick, you heard me, oh, I thought I was going to faint. Thank God you came!"  
  
She kissed him as he held tight to her, "Darlin', I don't know how, but I did hear your voice. You're safe. I'll take care of that snake."  
  
Taking her outside, he made her wait in the patio while he retrieved his gun and returning to the feed area; shot the snake as it started toward the horses. Making sure none of the horses were hurt, he put the alarm on and shut the barn up for the night.  
  
Going back to his wife, he found her anxiously watching for him. He swooped her up in his arms, saying, "No more snake, darling. Are you all right?"  
  
She nodded, putting her face in his shoulder. "It's childish, I know, but snakes scare me so much, I would have been ok, except for that light breaking over the feed area. When I tried to call out to you, I started to choke, I could barely breathe." He cuddled her against him, as he carried her into the house. Setting her down on the living room sofa, he got her some water, then comforted her as she slowly stopped shaking. "I'm ok, Rick," she took a deep breath, relaxing against him. "If you hadn't called to me,.."he stopped, horrified by what could have happened. Laurie put her hand to his cheek as he wrapped his arms around her, "Darling, you came when I needed you, you always have. I don't know why you can hear me, only, " her voice broke, "I love you so much, I never want to be without you."  
  
Rick kissed her hand, realizing that while his brother might have a new partner in life, he already had someone who needed him as much as he needed her, and had all along. "You'll never have to worry, Darlin" I'm always going to be there. I love you, don't ever leave me!" She smiled up at him," Never, ever!"  
  
Suddenly she realized something. "Oh, Rick, my roast in the oven, it must be a rock by now!" He laughed with relief. "I turned off the oven when I went to get you the water, it's my turn to take care of dinner, darlin!" He helped her up and as they went to the kitchen, she put her arms around Rick, saying, "That's not all you take care of around here, and don't you forget it!"  
  
Silently he agreed, and as he returned her embrace, he knew that he had gained a whole new appreciation of the one who would always be there for him.  
  
"Sweetheart, how would you like to be my back-up while A.J's gone, just once in a while," he added, "until he's back?" "Oh, Rick," she gasped, throwing her arms around him and covering his face with kisses. "I'd love to, thank you for trusting in me!" He grinned, "Boy, I never got a reception like that from A.J., sorry I", he kissed her back, "didn't think of it sooner!"  
  
Sitting down to dinner, he picked up his glass and toasted her, saying, "Here's to my new substitute partner!" Laurie touched first her glass, then her lips to his, adding, "And here's to keeping it in the family!" 


End file.
